I first heard about Spartan Races around the summer of 2012. At the time, I had just finished a kettlebell certification workshop that dictated my training focus for the previous 6 months. I needed something else to train for and challenge my comfort zone. I registered on my birthday and had 3 months to prepare for the Carolina Spartan Beast Race.
I had never actually ran more that a couple miles at a time so a 13 mile trail race complete with obstacles seemed just the right amount of crazy for my taste.
Apart from the mileage, I accepted the specifics would be kept a mystery. The website just said to be “ready for anything,” so why worry over the details? I added much more running to my schedule and but still only got up to 6 miles in a day, a paltry distance for the endurance buff. I figured strength would be of highest value for any Spartan, so I was sure to attack my workouts with 110% effort.
I finished strong (though not unscathed), and have since run the Spartan Sprint and the Beast again. Now that I’ve recruited a sizable team to run the next Sprint, I thought I’d share a few insights.
Mind > Body – Without a doubt, the #1 thing you must cultivate to dominate such a long and unrelenting challenge is mental toughness. The body will falter at a certain point, but giving up is a choice. I was talking with a fellow racer about how we would manage the Beast when I said something to the effect of taking one step then deciding to take another. Indeed, even with the relatively short Sprint (approx. 4 miles) last year, the weather was so bad (frigid rain) that it was more mentally challenging than the Beast (approx. 13 miles).
Train Your Weaknesses – Training legs hard undoubtedly helped to get me through the toughest miles on the trail. A kettlebell-forged posterior took me up the hills with speed. Another point of focus for many should be grip work and pull-up strength. Scaling walls, climbing ropes, and carrying heavy awkward objects are a welcomed break from the running, but can be quite hellish if you’re not prepared. If there are obvious areas for improvement in your fitness regimen – be they upper or lower body strength, flexibility, endurance, nutrition – work on them and everything else will improve.
Have Fun – At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Yes, it will still be hard, but enjoy the fact that you have a body capable of rising to the occasion. Everyone else is going through the same thing, and they want to see you succeed too.
Fuel – No need to over-think this one. I typically carb-up a day or two before the race and follow a cue from the Tarahumara Indians with some chia seed gel the morning of. Don’t forget the free post-race beer to replenish those glycogen stores…
Burpees – Get used to them.
Don’t be a Fool (Like Me) – Remember when I said I didn’t make it through the first race unscathed? It seems I made a bad judgement error on the horizontal rope traverse. This was one of the last obstacles and I was growing impatient waiting in line 15 minutes for my turn. Most people fail this obstacle. I saw person after person fall into cold water only to follow it up with 30 burpees – and I hones
tly didn’t think I could handle any more. So with no reasonable thought, I grabbed the rope and hooked my legs over top. By the end, I had given my calves some nasty rope burn. I was pretty proud of myself at the time, but probably should have settled for the burpees. At the next Beast, I simply packed some duck tape and wrapped my legs beforehand. It looked goofy, but it worked!
These Spartan Races make for great training goals and can be addicting! Feel free to reach out with any questions!